Craig,
sounds like we went through something similar.
What temperatures do see with your infrared gun?
-Wes

On Sun, May 4, 2008 at 4:14 PM, craig cowan <phishman068@gmail.com> wrote:

> I bought a replacement Temp 1 sensor from a FLAPS simply because mine was
> missing half of the brass connector plug (it got ground off in a wonderful
> thermostat problem a while back...). The connector would still connect to
> the Temp 1 sensor, and it worked fine.....i simply replaced it because it
> looked like it was in a "bad state" as a result of the filling.
> I installed the new FLAPS Temp1 sensor only to find it was EXTREMELY soft
> brass and stripped its own head off just on installation, and when i plugged
> it in and started the car, the gauge read ALOT hotter than it had before. I
> busted out my handy Infrared Temp gun and all seemed well. I couldn't
> tollerate the gauge problem, so i grabbed it with vicegrips, ripped it out,
> and put the old one back in. The "used for 10 min but destroyed Temp Sensor"
> has been thrown away. Luckily, the old one had not.
> This is just another example of how vanagon parts should never really be
> thrown away, as you'll always come upon something that's "more broken" : )
>
> By the way, i just did my whole head job, and had a ton of challenges come
> up along the way.....
> And mine is also reading a bit hotter than before.... I need to do more
> testing, bleeding, and running soon, but it's curious to see you have
> similar issues.
>
> -Craig
> '85Gl
>
>
> On Sun, May 4, 2008 at 3:44 PM, pickle vanagon <greenvanagon@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > After putting everything back together after my head-job gone wild,
> > everything is great except that the temperature gauge reads warmer than
> > before (yes I bled the system).  Before it sat just on the right edge of
> > the
> > LED.  Now it sits 3/4 of the way up the gauge,  a full half way between
> > the
> > LED and the far right side.
> >
> > When I was putting everything back together, I cleaned all wires and
> > grounds
> > I encounted and replaced the gauge sensor (along with the TEMP 2 sensor)
> > in
> > the thermostat housing.  I believe that my van is running at normal
> > temperature and that the cleaned up wires/new sensor is responsible.
> >
> > The new sensor is not from a list vendor.  I got it on a whim at a FLAPS
> > while picking up some other stuff.  It is aftermarket and comes in a red
> > box
> > with the brand name "standard" on the box.
> >
> > I picked up an infrared temp gun today from autozone ($19.99 !!) and
> > measured hoses/etc.  After lots of driving, with the needle at 3/4 the
> > way
> > up the gauge, I get 185-195 at the hose coming out of the thermostat
> > housing, and 200-205 at the crossover pipe that goes from the passenger
> > side
> > head into the thermostat housing, and on the thermostat housing itself.
> > The temperature of the radiator return hose going into the thermostat is
> > much lower, say 120.  This seems to me to indicate that the thermostat
> > is
> > mostly closed, which should make sense since it only starts to open at
> > 190.   (These temperatures are maximums; also this is a 1.9l where the
> > thermostat housing is bolted to the water pump.)  The temperature is
> > very
> > steady making it seem like it is being effectively maintained by the
> > thermostat.  If I drive with the heater on full blast, and let
> > everything
> > stabilize, the temperatures are only affected by 5 degrees or so (they
> > end
> > up at the bottom of the ranges rather than the top).
> >
> > Two questions:
> > 1. Do these temperatures seem okay to people?  For as many posts as
> > there
> > are in the archives talking about the use of infrared temperature guns,
> > I
> > couldn't find any which list accept temperature ranges.  What do other
> > people find at these points in their 1.9l (with standard thermostats)?
> >
> > 2. If my cooling system is functioning and these numbers are good, what
> > can
> > I do to fix the gauge?  If I leave it as is, there is less effective
> > resolution at the hot end of the scale, where it matters.  Will the
> > sensor I
> > get from VW or a list vendor be better than the aftermarket one I got?
> >  I
> > found some reference in the archives to the fact that VW changed the
> > spec on
> > this sensor, which causes this problem when the new sensors are
> > installed in
> > the old vans.  Unfortunately, I can't find my old sensor now... maybe I
> > threw it away.  But in any case it was not in great shape.  I've heard
> > of
> > people modding the new sensors by adding a resistor.  Is this a good
> > solution?
> >
> > thanks very much!
> > -Wes
> > '83 1.9l westy
> >
>
>